National Technology Snapshot

National Technology Snapshot

Alabama
The Dept. of Economic and Community Affairs was awarded $172,727 by the U.S. Justice Dept.'s Bureau of Justice Assistance. The money will be used to improve computerized identification systems in the state.

Alaska
Lt. Gov. Fran Ulmer formed a committee that will certify technology plans for schools and libraries planning to apply for Universal Fund discounts.

Arizona
The Dept. of Economic Security awarded a contract to North American Morpho Systems Inc. Rep. Jim Weiers said the goal of the new identification system is to make the welfare-to-work concept a reality.

Arkansas
Washington County is heading a GIS pilot project that involves several different county offices working together to build a combined GIS database. Global Link

California
The Santa Ana Fire Dept. is using VisiCAD for Fire/EMS. The system will help track important management information so the department can make effective use of personnel and vehicle resources.

Colorado
Jefferson County is using aerial imagery from Space Imaging EOSAT to populate an online information database used by multiple agencies within the county. Using the system, the county will be able to keep agencies informed of changes that take place in the high-growth area.

Connecticut
The state awarded a contract to CTA Inc. for support of the Dept. of Information Technology's Year 2000 Program Office. CTA will assess the technical and financial impact of Year 2000 issues on the state and develop and oversee a master implementation plan.

Delaware
The Division of State Police issued a Request for Proposals for the design, implementation, installation and maintenance of a new Communications Message Processor.

Florida
The state is working with Unisys Corp. and Viisage Technology Inc. to develop a digital driver's license system.

Georgia
Gov. Zell Miller announced that the state is seeking partners to help develop a number of electronic commerce applications.

Hawaii
Saint Louis High School students are using software from Eagle Point Software to design a "smart house." The design will include a work-from-home environment and use modern technology and materials.

Idaho
The state Senate approved a bill that sets aside $1.7 million for a competitive technology grant for participation in the Western Governor's University.

Illinois
McLean County is working with BDM International Inc. on the implementation of an Integrated Justice Information System. The system is expected to save an estimated $1.2 million annually.

Indiana
The State Police and Dept. of Corrections are working with NEC Technologies to implement an AFIS21 system that will provide the most advanced fingerprint technology to identify and apprehend criminals.

Iowa
Following the Iowa Technology Conference and Expo, the Information Technology Management Committee is working to build a process of regular educational opportunities by showcasing technological solutions and their applications.

Kansas
Frederick Boesch, Kansas' chief information architect in the Information Resource Council, was named to the Executive Committee of the National Association of State Information Resource Executives.

Kentucky
Eastern Kentucky University is using an Interactive Voice Response system from Periphonics to improve efficiency during student registration. PeriGram.

Louisiana
The state Commission on Law Enforcement was awarded $172,727 from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance to help improve their computerized identification systems and integrate them with the FBI's national identification databases.

Maine
The state is working with Sapient Corp. to develop a solution that will change the way states administer health and social services programs. The solutions will offer the technology and the support that states need to adapt to changes in federal and state requirements.

Maryland
The Dept. of Budget and Management Office of Information Technology contracted with BDM International Inc. to provide Year 2000 compliance services to more than 40 state agencies and departments, including community colleges.

Massachusetts
The Dept. of Revenue's Child Support Enforcement Division contracted with Lockheed Martin IMS to begin processing child support payments for more than 200,000 needy families.

Michigan
Dept. of Management and Budget Director Mark A. Murray announced the initiation of a network conversion and consolidation project that will save $1 million annually. DMB's Office of Computing and Telecommunications is transferring the network for the Child Support Enforcement System into the state's consolidated wide area network.

Minnesota
The Legislature created an information policy task force with members appointed by the governor and Legislature. The task force is to report by January 1999 on data practices and necessary changes in the law. Privacy Journal.

Mississippi
David L. Litchliter, executive director of the Dept. of Information Technology Services, was appointed to the 1997-98 Executive Committee of the National Association of State Information Resource Executives.

Missouri
Administrators in school districts throughout the state are now able to shop for a vast array of competitively bid products directly from the Internet by using Ambac Connect's electronic Buy Board.

Montana
Montana Power contracted with HTE Inc. to provide an integrated suite of utility software products and services.

Nebraska
Gov. E. Benjamin Nelson is fighting an amendment that would drastically reduce funding for educational programs in the state, including Technology Innovative Challenge Grants.

Nevada
The Dept. of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation implemented an Interactive Voice Response system to improve claim processing procedures, reduce traffic in local branch offices and increase employee productivity. PeriGram.

New Hampshire
Wake Forest University is using Cabletron Systems' business and technology solutions to help carry out a plan to enhance undergraduate education. Part of the plan calls for enabling students to link to each other, their professors, the university library and other campus network sources.

New Jersey
The State Dept. of Education's Office of School-to-Career and College Initiatives selected the American Design Drafting Association's Curriculum Certification Program. The program will help to upgrade the existing drafting programs throughout the state.

New Mexico
The New Mexico Dept. of Public Safety received a $172,727 grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance to help them achieve compatibility with national identification systems that aid law enforcement investigations.

New York
Oswego County purchased a fault-tolerant Stratus Continuum 400 computer system and Tiburon Inc.'s CAD/2000 Computer Aided-Dispatch software to handle the countywide dispatch of sheriff's department officers, state police, firefighters and emergency medical services professionals.

North Carolina
The state completed the installation of the first phase of a statewide public safety mobile data network.

North Dakota
Cass County implemented an online records imaging system for payroll and personnel records, which simplifies filing and makes record retrieval easier. County News.

Ohio
Licking and Pickaway counties are using Transmap to map public roads and create a sub-meter road centerline land base and a digital image inventory.

Oklahoma
The state approved a bill that will provide the Oklahoma state Dept. of Vo-Tech up to $7 million. The money will be used to train teachers on a statewide basis in the most effective use of telecommunications and distance learning.

Oregon
Sixty-four school districts were awarded grants ranging from $2,000 to $5,000 to develop strategic, long-range technology plans. The money is part of a $1.9 million grant awarded to the state by the U.S. Dept. of Education.

Pennsylvania
The commonwealth is using RCC Consultants Inc. to provide system integration, project management, engineering and quality assurance services for a new statewide Mobile Radio and Microwave System that will support all state level agencies.

Rhode Island
The Exeter-West Greenwich School Committee was set at press time to vote on a systemwide policy aimed at keeping students away from pornography and other potentially dangerous pursuits on the Internet and at protecting the regional school district from lawsuits that could arise from such activities. Providence Journal-Bulletin.

South Carolina
Greenville County is working with HTE Inc. to build "the next generation" of emergency dispatch software. Greenville 911 officials say the system will ultimately cut response time in half for medical, fire and police emergencies in the county.

South Dakota
The Office of the Attorney General received a $172,727 grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance to help them achieve compatibility with national identification systems that aid law enforcement investigations.

Tennessee
The Dept. of Transportation transformed its 25-year-old database into a robust, flexible and efficient GIS using an Oracle database and a suite of GIS and map-making tools from Intergraph.

Texas
The Denton County Dept. of Information Services tested an election Internet site and an automated election information telephone system during the Nov. 4 elections.

Utah
Gov. Mike Leavitt and representatives from several state and federal agencies signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the Utah Digital Spatial Data Sharing and Integration Project. The agreement provides a mechanism to cooperatively create and share digital spatial data.

Vermont
The Dept. of Education, working with the Vermont Spatial Data Partnership, has made display and query of school funding, student achievement and community risk factors available on the Web.

Virginia
The Division of Child Support Enforcement received a Project Recognition Award from the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships. The award recognizes Virginia for its vision in creating the Child Support Enforcement Privatization Project, which increased child support collections by 50 percent in the first two years.

Washington
The Pierce County Sheriff's Dept. and the Tacoma Police Dept. have upgraded their North American Morpho Systems fingerprint imaging systems.

West Virginia
The Criminal Justice and Highway Safety Division was awarded $172,727 by the Justice Dept.'s Bureau of Justice Assistance. The money will be used to improve computerized identification systems in the state.

Wisconsin
Gov. Tommy Thompson announced a new education initiative to ensure that the state's students and businesses can continue to compete in the global marketplace. The initiative includes using technology to allow students to participate in World Class programs.

Wyoming
The Office of State Lands and Investments is working with The GIS Studio to provide planning services for GIS implementation. The project will involve preparation of a GIS needs assessment and conceptual design, an implementation strategy and cost benefit analysis for the office's seven divisions.